These Battered Hands
Laurel Ulen Curtis
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Cover Reveal: September 9, 2015
Cover Designer: Hang Le
Sep 09
Dark & Dangerous Anthology Cover Reveal and Giveaway
Title: Dark & Dangerous: A Boxed Set of possessive alphas, sexy bad-boys, and savage heroes
Authors: Clarissa Wild, Lili St. Germain, Nashoda Rose, Lily White, Jaden Wilkes, Gemma James, Vanessa Waltz, Skye Warren & Skye Callahan
Release Date: October 13th, 2015
Genre: Dark Romance & Suspense (18+)
Cover Designer: LM Creations
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26118448-dark-dangerous
Cover Designer: LM Creations
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26118448-dark-dangerous
Synopsis
*** 8 tales of dark desire from your favorite NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY Bestselling Authors! ***
Over 2500 pages of hot & dangerous alpha males – On SALE for a LIMITED TIME!
Delicious dark romance, toe-curling suspense, and sinful pleasure, all packed into one boxed set. We’ve gathered all your favorite Dark Romance and Suspense stories and combined them into one scorching bundle. These possessive alphas, sexy bad-boys, and savage heroes will claim your heart and leave you begging for mercy.
~ Mr. X
(Clarissa Wild):
(Clarissa Wild):
He’s come to kill me. I don’t know his name, but I know he wants me. He is Mr. X; the man who comes to claim my life. Can I save myself before he demands my heart?
~ Gypsy Brothers (Lili St. Germain):
Six years ago, Juliette Portland was viciously
attacked and left for dead by people she trusted. People inside her father’s
motorcycle club, greedy for power, who defiled her, shot her father dead and
destroyed everything she ever cared about.
attacked and left for dead by people she trusted. People inside her father’s
motorcycle club, greedy for power, who defiled her, shot her father dead and
destroyed everything she ever cared about.
Only, she
didn’t die. She survived … and now, she’s out for revenge.
didn’t die. She survived … and now, she’s out for revenge.
~ Overwhelmed By You (Nashoda Rose):
I don’t deserve her, but I’m selfish and I’m taking her anyway. This is who I am and it’s too late to change me.
~ Serial
Volume 1 (Jaden Wilkes & Lily White):
Volume 1 (Jaden Wilkes & Lily White):
Jude Hollister kills. Born with
everything, wanting for nothing, murder has become his addiction. He kills
women who entice him. He immortalizes them while they’re still young and
beautiful. How will he manage to save the one woman he loves?
everything, wanting for nothing, murder has become his addiction. He kills
women who entice him. He immortalizes them while they’re still young and
beautiful. How will he manage to save the one woman he loves?
~ Epiphany
(Gemma James):
He haunts her in her dreams, but she’s never laid eyes on him.
Until now.
(Gemma James):
He haunts her in her dreams, but she’s never laid eyes on him.
Until now.
~ His
Witness (Vanessa Waltz):
Witness (Vanessa Waltz):
He kidnapped me.He was charming, powerful,
intoxicating. Accepting his advances might be the last mistake I’d ever make.
Now I’m trapped in his basement, completely at his mercy.
intoxicating. Accepting his advances might be the last mistake I’d ever make.
Now I’m trapped in his basement, completely at his mercy.
~ Love The
Way You Lie (Skye Warren):
Way You Lie (Skye Warren):
I’ll do anything to stay free, even if it means
taking my clothes off for strangers. So I dance, hiding under the shadows and
bright lights. Then I see him in the audience, and I know my past isn’t the
only thing I need to run from…
taking my clothes off for strangers. So I dance, hiding under the shadows and
bright lights. Then I see him in the audience, and I know my past isn’t the
only thing I need to run from…
~
Irrevocable (Skye Callahan):
Irrevocable (Skye Callahan):
I remembered! They stripped me of my life but
never my will to survive. Descending into their darkness and making it my own
became my only escape.
never my will to survive. Descending into their darkness and making it my own
became my only escape.
Preorder on:
Authors
Clarissa Wild
Clarissa Wild is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, best known for the dark Romance novel Mr. X. Her novels include the Fierce Series, the Delirious Series, and Stalker. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire’s Bet series, and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter | Fan Club
Lili St. Germain
Lili writes dark, disturbing romance. Her USA Today bestselling Gypsy Brothers series focuses on a morally bankrupt biker gang and the girl who seeks her vengeance upon them. The Cartel series is a prequel trilogy of full-length novels that explores the beginnings of the club, to be released worldwide in print and ebook in 2015 by HarperCollins.
Lili quit corporate life to focus on writing and so far is loving every minute of it. Her other loves in life include her gorgeous husband and beautiful daughter, good coffee, Tarantino movies and spending hours on Pinterest.
She loves to read almost as much as she loves to write.
Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter
Nashoda Rose
Nashoda Rose is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She writes contemporary romance with a splash of darkness, or maybe it’s a tidal wave. When she isn’t writing, she can be found sitting in a field reading with her dog at her side, while her horses graze nearby. She loves interacting with her readers and chatting about her addiction–books.
Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter
Lily White
Lily White is a dark writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. Most of the time she can be found wandering around aimlessly while her mind is stuck in some twisted power play between two characters in her head. You may recognize her in public by the confused expression, random mumbling, and occasional giggle while thinking up a scene. Lily’s favorite things in life are reading, thinking about reading, buying books for reading….and writing. Her other secret pleasure is meeting with her plot editor in public to discuss her books and watching the shocked expressions of the people around her that don’t realize she’s talking about a book. When Lily is not reading, writing, wandering or freaking out innocent bystanders, she’s sleeping.
Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Jaden Wilkes
Jaden is the pen name of a girl living on the prettiest farm in BC. She shares her space with her husband, her children, and an Irish Wolfhound named Tiberius. She can now be found lurking in the dark corners of the internet looking for artful porn gifs, dirty poems and places to promo her work.
Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
Gemma James
Gemma James is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of a blend of genres, from new adult suspense to dark erotic romance. She loves to explore the darker side of human nature in her fiction, and she’s morbidly curious about anything dark and edgy, from deviant sex to serial killers. Readers have described her stories as being “not for the faint of heart.”
She warns you to heed their words! Her playground isn’t full of rainbows and kittens, though she likes both. She lives in Oregon with her husband and their four children–three rambunctious UFC/wrestling-loving boys and one girl who steals everyone’s attention.
Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter
Vanessa Waltz
My name is Vanessa and steamy, bad boy romances with headstrong alpha males are my trade. Feel free to drop me a line at waltzbooks@gmail.com. Join my newsletter here for discounts, information on new releases, and more!
Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter
Skye Warren
Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of dark romance. Her books are raw, sexual and perversely tender. For those new to her work, consider the bestseller Wanderlust, Prisoner or the Dark Nights series starting with Trust in Me.
Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter
Skye Callahan
Skye Callahan is the bestselling author of Irrevocable a dark romance that ran away with her emotions and led her on a whole new writing journey. She enjoys exploring the darker sides of life through her fiction, whether through paranormal creatures or the depraved underbelly of human nature. Her other works include the follow up to Irrevocable, Bend Don’t Break, The Redline Series, The Fractured Legacy Series, and Bound and Unbroken.
Her love of reading and writing started at a young age and she has been blessed with a family that continues to support her dreams to be a full-time writer. She has lived in Ohio all of her life, where she enjoys taking long walks through cemeteries with her husband (when the insane Ohio weather permits), studying local history, and trying to make peace with the neighbor’s cats.
Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter
Giveaway
Regular link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5f0d889e95/
Sep 09
Body Heart Soul by JM Witt Release Day Launch
Title: Body Heart Soul (Blind Vows Vol 2)
Author: J. M. Witt
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Cover Design: Perfect Pear Creative Covers/Sommer Stein
Photography Credit: Darren Birks Photography
Model Credit: Dione Croes
Release Date: 9/9/15
Body Heart Soul: A leap of marital proportions.
Desiree Greene protects herself and has one rule; she doesn’t date her patients, no exceptions. Meeting O, she begins to question her ways and her rules.
As her heart yearns for O, Des knows she’s risking his safety and worries that her secrets should remain hidden. After all, those secrets could get them both killed.
Odysseus Kerrigan is an injured vet, younger than Des, with his sights set on her. Falling for Des may be the most dangerous mission he’s ever undertaken, but it’s also the most fulfilling.
After a whirlwind romance, Des and O get married, but that’s just the beginning. O and the Kerrigans are used to taking care of those they love; Des being no exception.
Find out if a love so sudden and so strong can survive when one bomb after another is dropped on it.
Body is everything he’ll sacrifice for her.
Heart is everything she wants to give.
Soul is everything they never expected.
AmazonUS | AmazonUK | AmazonAU
Body: A leap of marital proportions.
Des has had her share of heartbreak. To protect herself, she likes her men cheap, easy, and for one night. Meeting O awakens a hope inside her; a hope that maybe there is a happily ever after for her.
O is virile, handsome, a gentleman, and young; maybe too young. He’s also a patient and Des doesn’t date the patients; not anymore. Unable to deny the attraction, she asks O out, against her better judgment.
Des is keeping secrets, dangerous ones, and O is more than willing to fight for her, no matter the cost. Convincing her that he’s the one for her, no matter their age difference, Des and O decide to take a leap that will change their lives.
With an attraction so sudden and so strong there’s bound to be problems.
When the past comes back to destroy Des, will O be able to save her?
And will Des see the truth, that when love is involved, age is just a number?
AmazonUS | AmazonUK | B&N | iBooks | Kobo
Heart: A leap of marital proportions.
O is no stranger to war. Being a combat veteran, he was lucky to walk away with his life, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t experienced loss.
Des has woken something in him that he didn’t think possible. A hope for unconditional love.
Now they’re married and everything comes crashing down on their new-found love. Saul is determined to ruin their lives, even if it means someone must die.
Will O and Des get a chance to enjoy wedded bliss before it’s ripped away?
And are they prepared to fight for their marriage, knowing no one is safe?
AmazonUS | AmazonUK | B&N | iBooks | Kobo
Soul: A leap of marital proportions.
Des has vanished into thin air leaving O grasping at straws. Learning that Saul has escaped and that Des is out there alone, nearly sends O over the edge.
Des is doing everything and anything to protect O, even if it means endangering herself and the precious cargo she can’t believe she’s carrying.
Married and soon to be parents, Des and O begin the battle of a lifetime. A serial stalker, a surprise pregnancy, and so much more hang like a cloud over them.
Will Des and O finally be able to put an end to Saul before he destroys everything they’ve built together?
Or will Saul’s final revenge come when they least expect it, forever tormenting Des and O?
AmazonUS | AmazonUK | AmazonAU | AmazonCA | B&N | iBooks | Kobo
I’m a stay-at-home mom with four young children and one extremely supportive husband. We’ve been married for over ten years and reside in Metro Detroit, Michigan.
I’ve dreamed of writing romance novels since I was little. After having baby #4, who may or may not have been fathered by Christian Grey, I decided it was time to pursue my dreams.
When I’m not running to various appointments, enjoying time with my friends and my family, dating my husband, or avoiding cleaning my house, I’m writing!
I love music and believe that books and music can’t exist without the other. My goal is for you to read more than a good book, but for you to have an experience!
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads 
All graphics © 2015 Concierge Literary Promotions. All rights reserved.
Sep 08
Making A Play by Victoria Denault Review
5 Smooches
Synopsis
He’ll do whatever it takes to win—on and off the ice.
Luc Richard is the hottest player in the NHL—and it has nothing to do with hockey. His racy relationship with his supermodel ex set the tabloids on fire but nearly put his career on ice. To avoid being traded, Luc agrees to take a break from the spotlight—and from women—and spend the off-season at home in Silver Bay, Maine. It’s the perfect plan… until he reconnects with Rose.
Rose Caplan is tired of being shy, sweet, and safe. She’s ready for passion, romance—and Luc. Having loved him longer than she can remember, she’s finally ready to prove she’s not the same innocent little girl he once knew. Off the ice Luc doesn’t do games, but this new Rose makes him feel like playing a little dirty. If he’s really got a shot at her heart then he’s not just playing to win. He’s playing for keeps.
Review
“Rose Caplan is sweet, smart and definitely beautiful, but she has all these fantastical ideas about love. She’s a romantic and she dreams of an epic love story with a Prince Charming and a happily ever after. She deserves nothing less, but I’m not at all interested in that.”
WOW, this book took me by surprise, I expected a fast and fun hockey book but I got so much more. I started this book late one night expecting to read a bit then pick it up in the morning some more but before I knew it two am rolled around and it was impossible to stop til I reached the very last page. I adored Luc and Rose simply stole my heart. I read a lot of hockey books and really enjoyed the first book in this series, but Making A Play out them all to shame.
“I don’t know what’s holding him back but I do know it won’t last forever. He’ll either fuck you senseless or spontaneously combust.” “Then Luc should start carrying a fire extinguisher with him,” I snark “Because I’m betting it’ll be the latter.”
The Hometown Players Series revolve around the Caplan sisters and the Garrison brothers and their surrogate brother Luc. Rose, the youngest of the Caplan girls, has very ideological views on love and knows that her romance story worthy love is out there and ever since she was 15 years old she has crushed on her good friend Luc. Luc is three years older than Rose and after having lived with an alcoholic single mother, he doesn’t want to be anyone’s prince charming.
‘I want to ask him what the hell he’s doing, but it’s a stupid question. I know what he’s doing – he’s dry-humping me within an inch of my life and pretending it’s dancing. I just can’t believe he’s doing it to me.’
After a breakup with his casual hookup Luc has been getting some bad press and add that to his team not preforming great and he has a ton of pressure on his shoulders. He knows Rose is beautiful and one of his best friends but he can’t be what she needs so he treats her like a little sister which just infuriates her. Soon Rose is dressing sexier and acting more seductive and it is getting harder and harder to ignore the way he is feeling. But never able to fully give himself to her without damaging his career he makes the one girl who deserves the world to hide in the shadows.
‘She wants me. Fleur wants me. There is nothing else to say.’
There was so much I loved about this book. First off, Luc has been there for Rose since they were young and while he never gave into her crush he flirted and whispered sweet things in french to her that just melted my heart and panties. He was sex personified and everything that came out of his mouth had my heart thumping just a tad harder. Rose was silly and youthful. She was the kind of girl you wanted to be your friend because you know she would make spending time together a blast. There comes a time in this book like many other where incidents occur that will put a crack in perfection they could have been. My pulsed raced and my brain refused to shut down until I got past the worst of it all. Sweet, sexy and with characters you root for the whole way through this is definitely a book I will be recommending to all sports romance loving readers. Every moment in this book was a joy and I cannot wait to get to the third book in the series.
~miranda
Buy It Now
Sep 08
Alasdair by Ella Frank Pre-Order Blitz
Alasdair
(Masters Among Monsters, #1)
Ella Frank
Releasing October 13, 2015
Dear Readers,
Before you embark on this journey into my new erotic paranormal series, Masters Among Monsters, I wanted to let you know what you can expect from this trilogy.
Each novel will center around a different relationship that will also span across the course of the series, and they will include elements of: M/M, M/F, F/F & M/M/M. That sounds crazy right? I hope that doesn’t scare you off because I promise it makes more sense in context. More so than paranormal, please keep in mind this is an erotic series. It will be what you have come to expect from me, but with a twist.
These will be the dark and sinful stories of the Masters among Monsters. They will not be standalones.
Xx Ella
Blurb:
A dangerous allure…
Alasdair Kyriakous is one of the most feared and ruthless vampires in existence. Bestowed eternal life by the Ancient Vasilios, his name carries much weight across the continents.
But he is a mystery to his kind, an anomaly among the self-indulgent. While he enjoys the pleasures of the flesh, he is exceptionally particular in who he takes them from, priding himself on his ironclad self-control.
Yet with one look, and one man, his control will become a thing of the past, and Alasdair will discover—eternal life doesn’t always last forever…
A deadly attraction…
Thrust into a world he never knew existed, Leo Chapel has awoken in his worst nightmare. One that is being orchestrated by the dangerously, mesmerizing vampire, Alasdair.
He’s taken him hostage, convinced that Leo is hiding something after he managed to incapacitate him, and has vowed to do whatever is necessary to discover what that is—even if Leo himself has no clue.
A forbidden desire that could destroy a race…
Brought together by a force neither are aware of, both Alasdair and Leo are ignorant that they are pawns to a higher power. All they know, is the more time they spend trying to uncover the others secrets, the stronger the attraction becomes.
But enemies are watching, from afar and from within, and when decisions that will alter lives and destinies have to be made—can a dead grey heart learn to beat again?
Pre-Order Links
AMAZON – http://amzn.to/1JeveLw
B&N – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alasdair-ella-frank/1122341399?ean=2940152293791
KOBO – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/alasdair
About Ella Frank:
Ella Frank is a #1 Amazon Bestselling Author. She writes both contemporary and erotic fiction and is best known for her Temptation Series which includes the titles, Try, Take & Trust.
The minute she began her love affair with reading, she became an avid supporter of the romance genre and has never looked back.
Ella is Australian born and bred but currently resides in Portland with her husband.
Find Ella Online:
www.ellafrank.com
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6451816.Ella_Frank
https://www.facebook.com/ella.frank.31
https://twitter.com/ellafrank2012
Sep 08
Ryker by Sawyer Bennett Review
4 Smooches
Synopsis
The rugged men of the Carolina Cold Fury hockey team are winning hearts once again in another scorching novel from New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett.
The stakes have never been higher for Carolina Cold Fury goalie Ryker Evans. With his contract running out, he’s got a year left to prove he’s still at the top of his game. And since his wife left him, Ryker has been balancing life as a pro-hockey star and a single parent to two daughters. Management is waiting for him to screw up. The fans are ready to pounce. Everybody’s taking dirty shots—except for the fiery redhead whose faith in Ryker gives him a fresh start.
As the league’s only female general manager, Gray Brannon has learned not to mix business with pleasure. And yet even this tough, talented career woman can’t help breaking her own rules as she gives Ryker everything she’s got. She hopes their hot streak will last forever, but with Ryker’s conniving ex plotting to reclaim her man, the pressure’s on Gray to step up and save a tender new love before it’s too late.
Review
“I’m doing what feels right to me. You feel right to me.” “We can’t” I murmur. “We can,” he cuts me off, rubs a thumb on the side of my neck. “I’m you boss . . . it’s inappropriate.” “And yet I don’t give a shit.”
Ryker is the fourth standalone in the Cold Fury series by Sawyer Bennett and I was hooked from the beginning. I love an office romance and mix in a sexy hockey player and characters I have come to love and you get a book I couldn’t put down. I knew after reading Zack’s book that I was going to love Ryker, the man, and he was everything I imagined him to be. Kind-hearted and a great dad, he treats everyone with respect even his ex who really doesn’t deserve it. I honestly wish all real men were Rykers, the world would just be a better place.
“I’d like to be around you even if you didn’t do magical things to me with your penis.”
Ryker Evans is the hot, slightly older (think early 30s to the other players 20s) single dad goalie who is making a comeback on the Cold Fury team. Balancing being a full time single parent to two little girls and professional hockey player does not leave much time to get back in the dating scene, especially getting back out there with his new boss. Gray Brannon is taking over her dads spot as General Manger of the team and it is not going over well with many of the players. As the first female GM in the NHL she has a lot to prove and getting involved with the one player who fully supports her might not be the best idea. But how long can they deny chemistry and remain just friends and co-workers?
“There is nothing that can consume me as much as Ryker Evans can,”
The Cold Fury books are quickly becoming books I can count on to give me a well rounded story with characters I can count on loving. An easy read with just a touch of drama and angst, Ryker was the perfect way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.
~miranda
Buy It Now
Sep 08
The End Game by Kate McCarthy Release Blitz with Excerpt and Giveaway
Title: The End Game
Author: Kate McCarthy
Release Date: September 8, 2015
Blurb
“Professional athletes are
pillars of their respective communities. They are heroes in the eyes of boys
and girls and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that positively
represents their community.”
The public loves a good scandal. Seeing someone
fall from the pinnacle of success makes a great headline. No one knows that
better than I do. What started out as a promising career in college football,
spiraled into scandal and shame.
But being a hero is easier said then done.
Especially when there are those who expected to see the great Brody Madden
fail. I craved nothing except being the best—willing to do anything to prove
them wrong. But I went too far, and I tried too hard, and it broke me.
“At the time of going to print,
Jordan Elliott was unavailable for comment.”
I met Brody Madden in my senior year of college. An
Australian native on an international scholarship, I was the female soccer
sensation with stars in her eyes and no room for a hotshot wide receiver with a
chip on his shoulder.
But a heart bursting with ambition and a driving
fire to succeed isn’t made of stone. I became his strength, his obsession, and
the greatest love of his life. Only I wasn’t there when he needed me most.
This is a story about love and a game that takes
everything. Where the path to glory is paved with sacrifice. Where pressure
makes you, or breaks you, and triumph is born in the ashes of failure. Where
two people’s end game will change everything.
Check out our 5 smooches review HERE.
Purchase Links
99c
Excerpt
Shutting the door, I walk up the slight incline behind Brody. He sits down at the top of the crest and pats the grassy spot beside him.
“You didn’t mention this part when you explained our date.”
“I can’t give away all my secrets now, can I?”
The grass is a thick blanket on the ground and when I stretch out flat, the rich, earthy scent of soil sweeps over me. My eyes lift to the sky and that’s when I get it. It’s perfectly clear and millions of stars are scattered diamonds twinkling above us—bright and magical.
“Besides,” Brody adds as he lies down beside me and sweeps out his arm, encompassing all of it. “How do you explain that?”
He’s right. You can’t. “It’s beautiful.”
“Is this what the stars are like for you back home?”
“No. Back home it’s different.”
“Different how?”
Homesickness swamps me. As beautiful as Texas is, it’s not Australia. Somehow the stars are always brighter where you belong. “Because there’s no place like home.”
“You’re wrong.”
I turn my head and stare at Brody. He’s not looking at me. His head is tilted toward the sky, eyes riveted on the beauty above him. My gaze follows the line of his profile. From the curl of his hair to the perfect line of his nose, down to the mouth I want kissing me right this very instant.
“Home’s not a place where you live. It’s a feeling.” His hand nudges my own. An invitation. I twine my fingers with his and he squeezes them lightly. “Whether it’s where you are, like the football field, or who you’re with.” Brody turns his head, looking at me when he says that. It’s comforting because it unites us somehow, like it’s slowly becoming us against the world. “You can be anywhere, Jordan. Home will follow you if you follow your heart.”
My breath hitches from the beautiful simplicity of his words. Before I can talk myself out of it, I roll over and straddle him. My knees hug his hips, and he stares up at me from my seated position. My pulse pounds a heavy beat in the silence. Thump, thump, thump. It’s so loud in my ears I’m sure he can hear it.
“Show me,” I breathe. A gleam lights his dark eyes, and he sucks his lower lip inside his mouth. He knows what I’m asking, but I spell it out anyway. “Show me one of those wicked things.”
In a move that steals the air from my lungs, he takes both my hands and pulls me down against the broad width of his chest. I’m rolled over and underneath him before I can blink. The squirm in my hips is instinctive, the ache between my thighs relentless.
“Careful what you ask for,” Brody says roughly, every exquisite inch of his body pressing down on mine.
“Why?”
His lips curve. “Because when I give it to you, it won’t be enough.”
My fingers trail down the side of his face, grazing the firm jaw, cupping his cheek in my palm. Foreboding swamps me. I’m falling hard into uncharted territory, and all I see is a broken mess at the end. How is this going to end well for either of us?
“You’re an arrogant man, Brody Madden,” I whisper.
He brings his face to mine, so close I see the brilliant gold in his eyes, like flecks of light in the dark. “And you, Jordan Elliott, will be the woman who brings me to my knees,” he whispers against my lips.
“Show me,” I beg on a shaky breath.
Brody’s lashes lower and he presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth. I tilt my chin upwards, inviting more. Rather than take my lips like I ache for him to do, he shifts sideways and begins nipping at my jaw. His breath is a rasp when he reaches my earlobe, taking it between his teeth. A sharp pinch from his bite forces a whimper from my throat.
“More?” he asks, drawing back to look at me.
“Is that even a real question?”
Brody chuckles as I slide my hand up and around his nape, dragging his mouth down to mine. He groans and kisses me gently, once, and then twice.
“Brody,” I whisper, and he kisses me again, forcing my mouth open hard like he can’t hold himself in check anymore. My hair is loose and he fists chunks of it in both hands while his tongue rubs against mine, hot and aggressive. It’s almost too much, and when I jerk away I’m left gasping.
Brody doesn’t pause. He ducks his head to my neck, his tongue tasting its way down. He finds my pulse point and sucks. It’s fierce and my back arches involuntarily. His mouth shifts further down, moving on before he leaves a mark.
Sitting up, he takes the neckline of my dress in both hands. Five dainty buttons hold it together. A single wrench will rip the flimsy fabric in two. He pauses and looks at me, inhaling raggedly. “Jordan … I don’t want to ruin it.”
My brow furrows. I glance to the hands poised on my dress. They’re tense, veins straining under his skin. My head is lost in a fog when my gaze returns to his face. “Ruin my dress?”
Brody groans, a deep sound of regret and frustration. “Us.”
“You don’t want to ruin us?”
He draws his hands away from the neckline of my dress. “No.”
“How would you do that?”
“I don’t know. I just get this feeling I’m going to.” He shifts away, moving off me and rolling to his back. I turn my head. Brody’s gaze is back on the stars. I watch his throat work as he swallows, the pulse in his neck pounding visibly. “All I’ve ever wanted is to be the best. Whatever it takes. I’ll do anything. That’s how I’ll ruin us, Jordan. How can something so sweet survive a sentiment so dark?”
I roll to my side, holding my head in my hand. Cupping his face with the other, I nudge gently until he’s looking at me. “I won’t let you.”
Brody’s voice is urgent, his eyes fierce. “Promise me.”
I can’t shake the apprehension. It’s set in my bones and when I speak it feels like a lie. “I promise.”
Author Bio
Kate McCarthy is an Australian, living in the pretty sunshine state of
Queensland with her two kids and two dogs, Rufus and Pete.
She
loves to bake sweet stuff and eat it too. With an exciting degree in business,
she works as an accountant by day, and an author by night. In between family
life, she is most often found in bed reading, or at the beach, still reading.
Author Links
Sep 08
The End Game by Kate McCarthy Review
5 Smooches!
Synopsis
“Professional athletes are pillars of their respective communities. They are heroes in the eyes of boys and girls and are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that positively represents their community.”
The public loves a good scandal. Seeing someone fall from the pinnacle of success makes a great headline. No one knows that better than I do. What started out as a promising career in college football, spiraled into scandal and shame.
But being a hero is easier said then done. Especially when there are those who expected to see the great Brody Madden fail. I craved nothing except being the best—willing to do anything to prove them wrong. But I went too far, and I tried too hard, and it broke me.
“At the time of going to print, Jordan Elliott was unavailable for comment.”
I met Brody Madden in my senior year of college. An Australian native on an international scholarship, I was the female soccer sensation with stars in her eyes and no room for a hotshot wide receiver with a chip on his shoulder.
But a heart bursting with ambition and a driving fire to succeed isn’t made of stone. I became his strength, his obsession, and the greatest love of his life. Only I wasn’t there when he needed me most.
This is a story about love and a game that takes everything. Where the path to glory is paved with sacrifice. Where pressure makes you, or breaks you, and triumph is born in the ashes of failure. Where two people’s end game will change everything.
Review
“They say your entire life is mapped out on the palm of your hand.”
Few authors have the unique ability to make me feel. Like REALLY feel. The kind of feels that vary from chapter to chapter. You know what I am talking about. The feels that make you stupidly smile at your kindle while you are reading in public and everyone is just staring at you like your are crazy. The feels that make you try to hold in a gut wrenching sob. The feels that make you so happy that you are smiling through your tears. Kate McCarthy is one of those few authors. Her words evoke such strong emotions in me and when I am done reading her books, I miss her characters like they are friends or family. You get to experience the heart of her characters through her words. And The End Game is Kate McCarthy at the top of her game.
“Don’t go,” he whispers, and his voice cracks with so much pain it squeezes my chest. “You made me want you and need you, and now I can’t live without you anymore. Not for a single second.”
Oh, God. That cover, the blurb, the teasers, nothing quite prepared me for The End Game. I was thinking I was going to be getting a typical NA college sports romance. But no, this was so much MORE. This is NOT the usual I want to be the best sports star pursuing the good girl romance. This is the story of two persevering athletes that HAVE to be the best. This isn’t a choice for them. Along the way of relentlessly pursing their dreams and goals they fall in love. It isn’t really the right time, the right place, or a perfect situation at all but love cannot be stopped, not even for dreams of playing in the NFL or winning The World Cup.
“All I’ve ever wanted is to be the best. Whatever it takes. I’ll do anything. That’s how I’ll ruin us, Jordan. How can something so sweet survive a sentiment so dark?”
I tell you what. I had no idea where this book was going and I found myself so shocked a few times. I would literally put my kindle down and be like that did not just happen. Brody’s story is probably the most surprising. It is dark and sad and it made me want to hug and protect this big man. And Jordan, well she is probably one of my most favorite heroines ever. She is strong, independent, and when she makes a mistake she admits it. She is the strength to Brody’s weakness. Nothing makes me love a heroine more than her ability to stand by her man and Jordan does that and more. I loved her. She is everything.
“We’re opposites, you and I. I’m weak. But you…” he shakes his head “…your strength is like the sun, Jordan. It feeds me. And if you don’t let me go. I’ll just use it all up until you have nothing left.”
(SOB)
Yes, this book had my emotions just all over the place but there was also much needed laughter and fun times through out, I also really found myself enjoying the side characters as well and I am seriously hoping that Kate will come through with some of their stories. I feel like one in particular needs a book definitely. (coughjaxcough)
I cannot express enough that you must pick this one up. It is one of my favorites of 2015 so far. The End Game is a story full of hope, and dreams, and struggle. It is as tragic as it is beautiful. This one was a touchdown for me!
“I need to believe in something.”
“Then believe in yourself.”
~Amie
BUY IT NOW
Sep 08
My Kind Of Forever by Heidi McLaughlin Release Blitz ad Giveaway
Happy Release Day to Heidi McLaughlin and My Kind of Forever! Check out an excerpt from the book below and make sure to enter the giveaway!! Good luck! #LiamAndJosieForever
♥ Purchase My Kind of Forever ♥
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Liam Page knows music and a life of solitude, but that all changed when he returned to Beaumont. The once notorious bad boy lead singer of 4225 West is now living the domesticated life with his wife and high school sweetheart, Josie, and their son, Noah. Life is good for the Westbury family.
Josie Westbury loves everything about her life. She’s happily married. She has a successful business and a son who keeps her active. The only thing she longs for is another child.
Torn between his love for music and his love for his family, Liam finds he’s needed back in Los Angeles and the place where it all began. Josie is apprehensive, but knows this is what’s best for Liam and the bands career; however, it doesn’t take long for her biggest fears to start coming true.
Liam and Josie’s story continues in this last installment of The Beaumont Series.
Amazon: http://bit.ly/MKoF5
BN: http://bit.ly/BNMKoF
iTunes: http://bit.ly/MKoFi
Kobo: http://bit.ly/MKoFkobo
The way the mirror on my dressing table is angled gives me the perfect opportunity to watch Liam undress. This is my favorite ritual, morning and night. I’ll take the chance anytime I can to watch him methodically peel off his clothes. He’s a man who unties his shoes first, placing them back on the shoe rack. His socks are next, followed by his shirt. My peeping tom ways are often rewarded when he’s wearing a dress shirt. Not only do I get to watch the muscles in his back flex as he pushes each button through the ridiculously small hole, but his undressing is prolonged. He takes his t-shirt off the same way every time and when he pulls the collar from behind and the shirt slowly lifts inch by inch, my mouth waters. My lips become dry and my knuckles ache from my hand clutching my hairbrush. The clank of his belt buckle and the almost too silent pop of the fabric from his button down jeans have me staring intently into the mirror. My make-up is only half off, my mouth wide open and I’m the picture of someone who needs serious help. And let’s not get started on the way he gets dressed…
His jeans drop to the ground and he kicks them aside, depriving me of the chance to watch him bend over to pick them up. I find myself leaning into my vanity to get a better look as his thumbs dip into the waistband of his boxer briefs. Men find women’s lingerie sexy and appealing. It turns them on. The look and feel teases them and they love it. I never thought about men in their underwear until I saw Liam in his. Over the years he’s maintained his muscles, yet has a more defined physique. His boxers aren’t sagging in places they shouldn’t. My husband could be an underwear model with his form fitting briefs, although I don’t know if I’d want the world to see what he only shares with me. The cotton fabric pools at his feet. He steps out of them and turns around, showing me his naked body… a body only for my eyes, my hands, my lips and any other part of me.
“How long are you going to stare at me?” I swallow hard as my eyes flash to his and a wicked grin plays across my lips.
“Until my eyes no longer work,” I tell him. “Or until you tell me to stop.”
“Hmm that’ll be never,” he says as he walks near me.
Heidi is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author.
Originally from Portland, Oregon and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup, and their newest addition of a Highland Westie/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL.
During the day Heidi is behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, she’s writing one of the many stories planned for release or sitting courtside during either daughter’s basketball games.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
♥ Other Books by Heidi McLaughlin ♥
Forever My Girl – The Beaumont Series #1
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
My Unexpected Forever – The Beaumont Series #2
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Finding My Forever – The Beaumont Series #3
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Finding My Way – The Beaumont Series #4
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
My Everything – A Beaumont Series Novella
12 Days of Forever – A Beaumont Series Novella
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Lost in Us – A Lost in You Novella
The Archer Brothers
Here with Me
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Choose Me
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes
The Reeducation of Savannah McGuire
Heidi McLaughlin’s MY KIND OF FOREVER Release Day Blitz Giveaway
Sep 07
Valid Deception by Jennifer Pfister Review
3.5 Smooches
Synopsis
You would never think that one person, one betrayal, one poor judgment of character could lead to a whirlwind of life-changing events….
Stevie Hampton grabbed her life by the horns at the young age of 25. She worked her way up in her career, had a place to call her own, and had a casual boyfriend, Craig Mundy, who was a SWAT team member in Ocean County, NJ. They had one sure thing in common: both were career driven with barely a personal life.
What Stevie didn’t expect was for Craig to disappear without a word for three days—with no returned calls, no explanation and nothing adding up. Stevie knew one person who would have answers—Austin Kurt, Craig’s partner. The two were inseparable.
But when Stevie unexpectedly sees Austin waiting for her in an empty parking garage, her life suddenly takes a sharp turn and within seconds she’s unconscious. She wakes up with endless questions – like why her life was now literally in the hands of Austin? And what part did Craig play in this disaster?
In a relentless fight to clear up the misunderstanding, harbored feelings grow and fester between Stevie and Austin. Both are blindsided by the hidden connections between them.
Events tested them.
People tested them.
Life tested them.
Stevie is the beauty but is Austin really a beast? Knowing the truth is the only way to set them free, but when the truth comes out can they get past all the mixed feelings and the damage that’s already been done?
**Author’s note – this is a full-length standalone novel. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
Review
“We were in it to have fun, never thinking it would lead to anything further.”
Stevie Hampton, a 25-year-old hair stylist from New Jersey, was all about her career. She worked hard for the success she was realizing, maybe even too hard. She had her own place, she had a devoted following of clientele and she had a contract to do hair and makeup for a major modeling agency’s photo shoots. She was at the top of her game, and a relationship, friendships and even family fell by the wayside as she pursued her career. She did, however, have a very, very casual, likeminded boyfriend, and they both knew the score – their careers always came first.
“Our relationship never felt pressing that we had to see each other every single day.”
Craig Mundy, a NJ based SWAT officer, served Stevie’s purposes as she did his. Their no-pressure, no expectations relationship was easy, even if Craig was a bit self-centered and quirky. She had a friend in Craig’s partner, Austin Kurt, whom she secretly crushed on. She thought she had everything she wanted, until one night during a work party of Craig’s when she sensed Austin’s attraction to her, and she realized that it was definitely reciprocated. Following the party, she didn’t hear from Craig for days, not all that unusual for them, but it was longer than they normally went without contact. The separation had Stevie questioning their whole relationship and coming to the realization that the relationship, and Craig in particular, wasn’t what she wanted. If she could only track Craig down to talk to him about it…
“What did I ever do to him? What was going on?”
While out with her coworkers for a girl’s night, Stevie is surprised in the parking garage as she is heading home for the night by Austin. Knocked unconscious, Stevie comes to with a pounding headache in a cold room she doesn’t recognize and unable to recall what had happened. She learns that her captor is none other than Austin, and he is positively furious with her for reasons she does not understand. Delivering terrifying threats that she believes he could – and would – easily carry through, Austin forces her to leave everything – her home, her family and friends, her career – behind so that he can take his revenge on her for her role in a betrayal Austin believes was perpetrated against him by Craig and Stevie. Stevie has no idea what is going on, but Austin does not believe her
“He took my life in his hand, looked at it, and threw it to the ground shattering it into a million pieces.”
Weeks go by, and Stevie is no closer to figuring out what happened and why exactly Austin kidnapped her. All she knows is that he believes that she and Craig somehow betrayed him. He will not discuss it with her, despite her repeated attempts. The only thing that is changing – and very, very slowly at that – is their relationship. Sometimes she thinks she sees a hint of doubt in Austin’s normally cold and shuttered eyes, only for it to be gone just as quickly. She occasionally see flashes of the Austin she thought she knew, but then he’s gone and the cold, remote and harsh person is become snaps back into place. She is sinking further and further into an anxious depression, and yet, she cannot help the attraction she feels towards him. It was there even before this situation.
“This felt less like a kidnapping and more like a forced situation just waiting to be figured out.”
Austin assimilates Stevie into his life with the cover story of being his girlfriend. Publicly, they are a normal, albeit unaffectionate, couple. At home, it’s awkward avoidance as they spend their days going about life separately. Stevie has free reign, she can come and go as she pleases, and she does, involving herself in the community and befriending the girlfriends of Austin’s two best friends. Stevie can sense Austin’s turmoil, his doubts and his attraction to her. She questions him constantly to find out if he’s heard anything that will exonerate her in his eyes, and all the while, her feelings for him are deepening. While she is still upset at the havoc Austin’s revenge has wreaked upon her life, she can understand why he did it.
What will happen when the truth comes out? Where do they go from here?
********************************
There were parts of this book that I really, really liked. The premise is a good one – it’s a totally fresh plot line and it definitely intrigued me. I think that some of the way that this plot played out was fantastic. But there were other plot points that just didn’t work well, and I struggled through those areas. Parts of the book flowed very easily, building up the anticipation to what I hoped would be a great pay off. But that never really happened, and in some areas, it got to be very repetitious, dragging this big mystery on and on. My biggest issue, however, was with the ending. There was all this build up leading to this huge make or break, long-time-coming type of moment for them and their relationship, and it wound up being a couple of paragraphs of a very glossed over sex scene (the only one in the book) with a few lines of dialogue including declarations of love that segued right into a six month flash forward of the take down of the real villain behind all of this. Stevie’s confrontation with Craig at the end was disappointing, and the entire ending of the book felt like it just came to a screeching halt. All that build up didn’t really lead to anything, and it was very surprising.
This book held a lot of promise, and parts of it were really good. I think with perhaps a more seasoned team of beta readers giving honest, constructive feedback to this debut author on where it was going wrong, it could have been really great. For me, though, it was a mixed bag. 3.5 Smooches for a great plot idea, though!
~ Danielle Palumbo